-Manitoba is one of the three prairie provinces in Canada.
-It is located in the center of Canada.
-Ontario is to the east and Saskatchewan to the west.
-Nunavut is north and the United States is south.
-"Manitoba" is a Cree name meaning "the place where the spirit (manitou) speaks."
-capital city - Winnipeg.
-second-largest city - Brandon.
-Manitoba's flower-Prairie Crocus , tree-White Spruce, bird-Great Gray Owl
-Motto-"Glorious and Free"

THE PEOPLE

-Manitoba is the home of about a million Canadians.
-Winnipeg is the largest city. Half a million people live there.
-Manitoba is home to many Metis and native peoples.
-People came to Manitoba from Britain, Europe, Europe, East and Southeast Asia.
-Some large ethic groups : Ukranian, Mennonite and Icelandic.

HISTORY

-The first people to live in Manitoba: Assiniboine, Cree, Saulteaux,
Chepewyan, Ojibwa.
-They followed herds of bison and caribou.
-Early explorers arrived through Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba.
-Hudson's Bay Company (created in1670 ) set up fur-trading posts along the rivers.
-First French settlement-Fort Rouge; first British settlement-Red River
-Louis Riel (1844-1885) was an influential Metis leader.
-Riel and his people were concerned about the settlers taking over their land.
-He is often called the Father of Manitoba.
-Manitoba became Canada's fifth province in1870 .
-The railway brought thousands of settlers from eastern Canada and from
all over the world.

LAND and WATER

-Manitoba is known as the land of100 , 000lakes.
-Lake Winnipeg, Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba are three large lakes.
-The three largest rivers are the Churchill River, Nelson River, and
Hayes River.
-The three rivers flow into Hudson Bay (northern Manitoba)
-Forests (pine, hemlock and birch) cover northern Manitoba.

RESOURCES

-Manitoba lies in the area of Canada known as the Canadian Shield.
-Minerals and metals found in the Canadian Shield. nickel, gold, copper, zinc, cobalt, gypsum
-Manitoba has petroleum (used to make gasoline).
-One-fourth of land is covered with forest.
-Hydro-electric power is an important industry.
-Manitoba sells hydro-electric power to other provinces and to the US.
-There are different types of farming in southern Manitoba:

One-third of the farmland is used for growing wheat.
Mills make wheat into flour.
The wheat is sold to other countries.
Farmers also grow barley, oats, sunflowers, flax and canola.
These crops are made into cereal and oil products.
Dairy farms produce milk, cheese, yogurt and cream.
There are also livestock farms.

PLACES and PEOPLE

-The Royal Canadian Mint ( where coins are made ) is in Winnipeg.
-The Viking at Gimli - a giant statue honoring the ancestors of the Icelandic people.
-Churchill in northern Manitoba is "the polar bear capital of the world".Polar bears make their dens near the town.